Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Lexington project includes a paved hiking, biking trail

By Shari Kaplan

The Santa Clara Valley Water District's plan to modify Lexingtom Dam is scheduled to get under way this summer with safety improvements as well as better recreational access.

Representatives from the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department updated interested hikers and bikers on the Lexington Dam Face Trail construction project at an April 1 meeting at the Neighborhood Center.

As part of the proposed modifications, the crest of the 195-foot, earthfill dam will be raised between one and four and a half feet to safely contain maximum flows and discharge them through the spillway. The crest has fallen many feet over the years, due to earthfill settlement and subsidence. The spillway chute walls and wing walls will also be raised and a saddle dam installed on part of the west spillway, along with other minor alterations.

Users of the Los Gatos Creek Trail, which joins the Lexington trail near the reservoir, will benefit from other parts of the plan, such as the construction of a paved pedestrian/bicycle trail across the downstream face of the dam. The trail will be approximately 12 feet wide, with an eight-foot paved trail and a four-foot unpaved shoulder.

"Bicyclists wanted to avoid the dirt and gravel roads that go over the spillway and needed a safer trail to go up and over the dam. It's always been a request of trail users to want to get to the top of the dam, but it hasn't been a priority," said county parks planner Debbie Turpen.

Parks and Rec was also concerned about the steepness of the existing spillway roads, which could cause a loss of bicycle traction on the slippery gravel. All of these problems will be addressed with the construction of the new trail, which will consist of paved asphalt concrete. Santa Clara County Capital Improvement funds will help finance the dam improvements; Parks and Rec is also seeking a grant to supplement funding.

"I think it's a great addition to the recreational facilities in the area because it'll open up these trails to bicyclists, mountain bikers, hikers and runners. It provides a physical connection of the trails and roads in the valley to those in the Santa Cruz mountains," Los Gatos Trails and Bikeways Committee Chairman Sheldon Smith said of the Lexington Dam Face Trail.

Smith originally suggested enhancements to the dam access back in November 1994, when the water district first began holding forums to discuss safety improvements to the dam.

Smith added that he was pleased with the number of cycling enthusiasts and trail users who showed up at the April 1 meeting and is grateful to the water district and Parks and Rec for proceeding so quickly through much of the red tape.

Construction on the planned improvements, which may last from four to seven months or more, will block some trail connections between the Los Gatos Creek Trail and the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which provides access to the Jones Trail. However, contractors will provide trail access from 4:30 p.m. to dusk on weekdays and all day on weekends.

Although many wild plants must be removed during the construction process, the modification plan includes a revegetation program to provide the area with a variety of native and noninvasive plants and grasses.